Missing
by Winter's Realm
Summary: ["...NO, please, STOP! What you're doing is WRONG!"]. An impulsive move on a dangerous mission reduces the band of four brothers to a broken team numbering three. And while the 'fallen' one survived, the rest of the team would rather believe he had died. Because there's no way they can let him come back- not now. Sure, he claims to be innocent…but you can't trust a killer, can you?
1. The Three

**Missing.**

**Summary:** A mission goes wrong, and it's a race against time to save the fallen… but only hope and courage will allow the team to succeed. Not quite a death fic… for the race against time is not yet lost…

No Character death.

**A/N:** Yes, this is the fic I published (and then deleted) a little while ago. I wasn't happy with the plot, or the first chapter. So I rewrote it- and this version is A LOT different- although key elements of the story will remain the same. **SO** Sorry for the wait **and** for suddenly deleting a new story! I'll do my best to not let it happen again!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ninjago.

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><p>He should have seen it coming.<p>

As the team's leader, it was his duty to watch out for his team mates and bring them back from every mission safe and sound- in mind, body and spirit.

The Earth was required to look after the other elements. Without the Earth, there was nothing. Lightening had to hit the ground to dispel its charge. Ice would not be able to form without the water which ran over the surface of the Earth. And, Fire also needed the Earth. It took its instruction from it. But when the Earth made a wrong call, the fuel which kept the flames burning disappeared and Fire fell.

Protect the team… the other elements…

Well, he'd certainly failed at _that_ duty.

_The bridge…_

Cole's eyes closed tightly and he shifted against the Bounty's railings, shaky hands gripping the hard surface forcefully; his own strength causing the wooden beam to creak. His eyes tightened further at the noise. It sounded too much like _wooden planks_ splintering.

_It sounded _too much_ like death…_

He opened his eyes again, looking up at the dusky sky. Clouds drifted through it aimlessly, and Cole couldn't help but feel some sort of empathy with their lost, dejected manner. He didn't know where he was going anymore, either.

That was the problem with being a strategist. When the plan falls apart, you have nothing left except the knowledge that you failed. There were no second chances when it came to life and death. So when you failed… you just become another empty cloud, gliding through the night sky while the thin air cooled.

(Too thin to support the fallen…_ falling_…)

The end of the day.

It was sickening to think that this day had begun with four… and ended with _three._

_Over._

(His responsibility)

_Fallen._

Cole slumped further against the railing (ignore the wood creaking_. Ignore it!_), dejection and denial making him feel uncharacteristically weak.

He hated feeling like this.

He should have done more, fought harder (- burned brighter; like Fire, or light reflecting off Ice, or Lightening dancing through the sky… bright. Earth was dull. The others were _so _bright…).

_Bright_ like that afternoon… when the sun's rays had been dancing off golden blades which spun and cut through wooden planks and metal pylons.

_The broken bridge…_

No-

(Bright like death)

- No!

He had to stop that... Stop _this_. That. This. _Whatever. _What was done was _done_.

Over.

Finished.

Final.

…. It was just that he'd give _anything_ to be able to go back and undo what had happened.

Mentally, Cole kicked himself. Here he was, staring at the setting sun, reflecting on the day's tragic events like some angsty teenager.

… _Justified_ in that he'd just lost his brother… AND all because of his inability as a leader!

Kai should be the leader now…

Angstangstangst-

Hell, he didn't give a damn about what he was like at the moment. An angsty teen? So be it. That worked for him. He couldn't bring himself to care much about fricking stereotypes right now.

_Emotional?_

Okay, the Earth was meant to be stable… but, yes. Justified.

_Depressed?_

Yes. Justified.

_Hurting?_

… well, he didn't _like_ to be weak, but _yes_. Again, justified.

Angstangstangstangst…

He _had _TO STOP!

He was a Ninja! He was _better_ than this!

Problem was, he didn't feel very much like a Ninja at the moment. Or much like a team leader. Or a Master of Earth, for that matter…

The Earth should support-

(It was the base. The foundation. Unity. Solidarity. Passion. Success. Friendship ).

Yet the element that needed Earth had _fallen._

_Angst-angst-angst-_

This wasn't helping! He needed to be planning, making sense of everything…

Oh, he felt so sick.

He just wanted to erase this.

_Erase_… oh, pleasepleaseplease…

_(Erase my mistake._

_My poor choice._

My fault?)

"Cole?"

Cole's hands clenched into fists as a hesitant voice glided across the deck. He didn't want to face anyone at the moment… he needed to think and reflect and move on.

Heh, move on.

Right…

Well, apparently, that was what was meant to happen… 'Five stages of grief' and all that.

Yeah, _right._

(But how could he heal from something like this?)

He wanted - haha, _sooo_ _cliché_...- to be _alone_.

"You okay?" the voice called again, and he recognised it as belonging to Jay. Yet it was no longer bubbly and cheerful (BRIGHT). Rather, faded; dim. Burdened.

Cole couldn't help but reflect that Jay's voice perfectly represented what _everyone_ on the ship was feeling.

The blue Ninja shuffled softly onto the deck, so Cole turned around. Despite the heavy feeling in his gut (_guilt_), he quickly assessed the Ninja in blue, checking that he was okay- the afternoon's events had affected them all. Jay's eyes were still red rimmed, as if irritated by salt water, but other than that, he looked to be physically fine.

...Fine.

It was a safe word.

"I'm fine," Cole replied.

It was a lie, and they _both_ knew it.

He didn't mind lying now… (Because the truth of what had happened was so_ painfulpainfulpainful_… the truth would never set _anything_ free…)

Lies were so much safer. He'd happily live in delusion and dream a different ending to this day… an ending not so tragic; so _wrong_.

Yet, he couldn't do that. Because he _still_ had a job to do. He still had a team to lead… well, _part_ of a team to lead…

(Hope and truth were delusionally destructive-)

Jay just nodded and moved over to slump against the railing next to him. "It's so …. _hard _to believe that he…" the normally bubbly Ninja trailed off, waving his hands helplessly in the darkening air as if gloom and despair weighed his words down, making him unable to breathe them out.

"I know," Cole nodded, not wanting Jay to say anymore.

Idon'twanttoremember…

"I just keep expecting him to walk around a corner, y'know?" Jay continued, and Cole resisted the urge to ask him to leave. Jay needed someone to be there and listen to him. Cole could do that.

_Team?_

_(No more)…_

_Team Leader…._

_He _must.

"I know,"

"He was so different from us at the start, but then he was like, truly part of us. And now he's gone… I'll miss him,"

"I know,"

"He was a lot like you,"

"I know,"

"Like different to you in some ways, but you two were so similar in other ways. You worked well together,"

"I know,"

"I'm gonna miss making jokes with him,"

"I know,"

"He was always so serious about training, but it was cool that he had a sense of humour in there as well. He was such a cool guy,"

"I know,"

Jay's shoulder's sagged as he sighed, realising that Cole wasn't in the mood for talking. "Sorry, Cole,"

"I kno- It's fine, Jay," Cole shook his head, causing strands of black hair to messily cover his eyes and block his vision. He didn't bother to brush them away. "Just- yeah," he waved one hand and Jay stood up, understanding what Cole couldn't say.

_Alone, please._

_Just let me think a way through this. Even if there is none._

"I'll be inside if you need me. Don't stay out too long, okay?" Jay asked, small oceans of concern and sadness swirling in his eyes. "I think it's going to rain tonight,"

_(Can't wash it all away...)_

"I won't." Cole muttered, turning his attention back to the blackened sky.

_If only…_

Kai should have been the leader- this never would have happened had _he_ been in charge. Kai always had a plan, but also could think on his feet and modify it when needed, as well. He was fast, intelligent, funny… sure, he had a bit of an ego... But he knew how to encourage others and get the best out of them.

Jay tended to panic too much when the pressure was on, and Zane… just had always been so mathematical and technical. A leader needed to be by the book (Zane was)… but sometimes, that meant _also_ being the author of the book… Zane wasn't 'loose' enough for such a role.

It _should_ be Kai.

Kai… _Oh_, Kai.

But-

It was just that-

Kai couldn't be the leader-

Cole still had to. He'd been chosen by Sensei…

And, and-

Kai couldn't- (Please_please_… don't even _think _about it)

Cole couldn't lead like this-

IcannotIcannotIcannotIcannot-

The knowledge that he was without-

The team member…

_(Falling.)_

_My brother_

Without-

_ItwasALLhisfault…_

Without-

_I'msosorry..._

Without-

(The BRIGHTNESS of the flames had broken-)

Without-

(Gold glinting in the sun _brightly_-)

Without-

Without-

Without-

…

_Kai._

_Without Kai._

…

Because Kai was _dead_.

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><p><strong>Angsty Cole is an interesting thing to write. He's still balanced, even when depressed- not 'moody' depressed, but genuinely grieving, of course. Argh, writing him like this is so unlike Kai in OaS!<strong>

**I hope he came across as 'in character'!**

**Take care, lovely readers!**


	2. Our Delicate Ghosts

**A/N: ** Wow, look, another update! Aren't I amazing? (Actually, I think this update had more to do with the lovely, very encouraging comments from my _OaS_ readers… Many thanks, guys! : ) ) Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

**On an important side note to my reviewers:** I've recently gotten Private Messaging (please, feel free to shoot me a line whenever you want! _Love_ to hear from ya!), but I still don't have a _clue _about 'Fan fiction etiquette'. Do you want me to reply to your reviews? Or would that just be annoying? If someone could give me some pointers, then I'm all ears and your advice would be much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** Ninjago does not belong to me…

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><p><strong>-Destiny's Bounty:-<strong>

Even after the sun had fallen (how fitting, he thought) and the sky had darkened, Cole still didn't go inside. Not when his stomach began to rumble; reminding him that the last time he'd eaten had been over eight hours ago. Not when a light drizzly rain began; making him close his eyes as the cold fragments of water clung to his eyelashes. Not when the temperature began to drop, making his skin turn pale and shiver violently. Those factors were external. Unimportant. They didn't _matter._

Because Cole _really_ didn't care.

Some sort of odd numbness had taken over every haunted part of him; as if he was no longer a person, but simply a reflection in a mirror- a _broken _reflection- watching himself breathe and think and move, but never truly _feeling_ it.

He released another bitter breath, watching as the white wisps swirled away into the night like delicate ghosts. The air had turned to ice; almost too harsh and burning and _suffocating_ to _breathe_. But the only thing he really noticed (and even then it more of a distant, echo-like observation) was that everything was so painless. Time and feeling had blurred into a faint, grey mess.

He felt numb.

As numb as glass covered in icy snow.

(So, so… _shatterable… but… agonising…_)

Distantly, he shifted position, shaking one leg which had gone to sleep before sagging heavily against the wooden railing again. He couldn't remember ever feeling like this. _So dead_. Pain pulsed around him in inky black waves, blocking him off from everything else, but he didn't touch it; he couldn't touch it.

_So dead._

_(Would this be how Kai felt?)_

Night had fallen, in both the sky and his mind…

The outside world was so very cold.

As cold as cold could be. As cold as _death_ could be.

…_Would Kai feel cold, then?_

…_Or would he feel nothing?_

_Nothing?_

_(Nothing)_

_(Nothing)_

_(Nothing...)_

Cole took another breath and leant further onto the railing, slowly sliding down until he was sitting on the soaking deck. Once more, the cold was unimportant; just another external factor that really didn't affect him.

In a motion that could almost be described as lazy (but, _pained_), he blinked his eyes open, wearily watching the raindrops as they hit the deck and shattered.

He didn't know rain could break.

He'd never thought Kai would break, either.

Well, Kai hadn't broken. The _bridge_ had.

Kai had died.

_Kai. Died. _

_Kai. Dead._

_Kai. Missing in action._

_Kai. Killed in action. _

_(Pleasepleaseplease Iwishyouhadn't…areyouokay...canyouhearme __**screaming**__ ...Kai? Please come back...Kai, please!)_

Unbidden, a sudden, tearful desire to scream out Kai's name and cryandcryand_cry_ until he could breathe no more rose in Cole's throat. He gripped the railing tightly, _swallowingchokingbreathing_ through the pain until it subsided into a series of tense, ragged gasps.

This was so _crippling_.

Head bowed, Cole closed his eyes again, but images of Kai running onto the bridge flashed through his memory like an uncontrolled wild fire, taunting him, _burning _him.

He could still see the Serpentine soldiers marching onto the bridge. The first of the scouts had already crossed the chasm, and he'd known that more would follow fast. So he'd ordered Kai and Jay to follow him down to the end of the bridge and hold off the first wave. But Kai had insisted on running onto the bridge, yelling something about 'facing them one at a time'.

Unfortunately, despite his friend's brave efforts, Kai's position had quickly become overrun. The red Ninja had ignored Cole and Jay's cries to stop and turn around. Instead, he'd raised his blade (which had been glinting so _brightly_, as if in farewell) and divided the bridge.

The Serpentine had fallen. But so had Kai.

Fallen.

_Fallen_.

Cole _shouldn't_ have let him run onto the bridge.

(All my fault...)

"You really need to come in, now,"

Despite the low drumming of raindrops, his thoughts were interrupted by a quiet feminine voice. One of his hands clenched into a tight fist. _Why couldn't they all just leave him alone? "_Go away, Nya," Cole muttered, his tone coming out stonier than he had intended it.

Kai's (_Kai… oh, Kai…_) little sister could be almost as stubborn as her brother. "You look cold," Yet despite her persistency, Nya's voice was as broken as he was, and Cole felt distantly guilty for dismissing her so abruptly.

But what else could he do?

He'd killed-

He'd killed her _brother._

_His best friend. _

"I'm fine," he muttered, firmly keeping his gaze on the drowning deck.

"Staying out here won't bring Ka- him..._ back_," Nya pressed. But she choked on the name, and it was obvious that her stubbornness lacked any actual willpower. Her voice was fragile and gentle and Cole suddenly realised that this sort of maternal caring was her own way of coping with the sudden loss. Just as he withdrew into himself, Nya reached out to others, looking to both give and receive support.

Grimly, he turned to face Jay's girlfriend, feeling guilty once again for being so short with her. Kai's sudden death had hit her hard. Her brown eyes were red rimmed and she looked slightly dizzy; as if she'd been crying so hard that her head was aching. Closer inspection revealed that she was swaying slightly too- visibly fighting to stay upright.

He'd lost a best friend. But she'd lost a _brother_. A brother she'd been incredibly, _incredibly _close with.

_("They took my sister! We have to go rescue her!")_

_("Yo sis, I think we're gonna need an evac…")_

_("Bro… if I ever… y'know… don't make it back… look after her, yeah? I know she's got Jay, but Jay can't be her _brother_…she'll need your friendship too. Can you do that for me please, Cole?")_

He owed it to Kai to look after her. With a sigh, Cole got up and followed her inside, leaving the deck to drown in the shattered water.

* * *

><p><strong>-Unknown Location:-<strong>

Personally, Kai decided that this screw up was Wu's fault. It couldn't be Cole's because Cole had (very_ loudly_) ordered him _not_ to run back onto the bridge. And it couldn't be Jay's fault because Jay had been busy drowning out Cole's orders with bellows of his own- although Kai had understood each of the two ninja perfectly because they had essentially been yelling the exact same thing.

_Get back here, you idiot._

Well, that was the child friendly version. Kai wasn't sure that he would want to repeat what they had _actually_ said. Even by his own standards, their language had been rather… colourful.

Anyway, to get on with his blame-list… he couldn't blame Nya because she'd been looking after Lloyd at the time. And Lloyd was innocent too because he'd been cornered by several of the serpentine scouts and in desperate need of a Samurai rescue. And Zane couldn't be brought into this either because the Nindroid hadn't been anywhere near the bridge when Kai had run out onto it.

So that left Sensei Wu.

_Yep._ This was all Wu's fault. He should have taught his student better than to show off and save the day by running onto a bridge crawling with Serpentine. And at the _very_ least, he should have made sure the student was aware that cutting the bridge in half would have disastrous consequences for everyone on the bridge.

Including the aforesaid student.

_Really,_ Wu needed to get his act together and start teaching some _quality_ stuff. Because there was absolutely, definitely _no possible_ way Kai could be blamed for this.

Yes, he'd been a _little_ too reckless.

Yes, he'd been slightly high- on adrenaline, that was!

Yes, he'd been playing the hero.

Yes, he'd been listening to his ego instead of common sense.

And as far as he was concerned, it was _completely_ Wu's fault.

Well, maybe not. But pinning blame on the experienced Master was definitely an amusing thought- providing Sensei Wu didn't find out about it.

In that case, things wouldn't be _quite_ so amusing.

"Thanks, Sensei," Kai muttered with a sardonic grin as he opened his eyes and examined his surroundings, ignoring the way his head throbbed with the movement. He was lying on a sandy bank next to a river, at the bottom of what appeared to be a deep abyss. The cliffs surrounding him looked steep and smooth; climbing them would be an issue.

Well, that wasn't too good.

The last thing he could recall was the bridge splintering under the blade of his sword and the air whistling past his ears as he plummeted to the river below. He sort of remembered hitting the water, but things got a little foggy after that.

"Like a night out on the town… only I missed out on the fun of getting drunk," Kai muttered, lips twisting into a faint smirk and he stood up. But a sudden, rippling pain shot through his body- grating on what felt like _every_ damn nerve ending- causing him to fall back to the ground.

Kai cursed. The words he selected were definitely around the same level of colour that Cole and Jay had used, but right now, political correctness could kiss his ass. Lloyd wasn't out here, so he could say what he wanted.

Gingerly, Kai dragged himself over to a nearby boulder and leant against it while trying to examine the source of the pain.

_Stupid Wu_.

His ankle was sprained, and there was a strong chance he'd broken his left arm. To make matters worse, Kai had no idea about _where the hell_ he was, because none of the surrounding landscape looked familiar.

* * *

><p><strong>So, chapter two of Missing is complete! No, Kai didn't die! I couldn't kill him! XD<strong>

****On an important side note to my reviewers:** **I've recently gotten Private Messaging (please, feel free to shoot me a line whenever you want! _Love_ to hear from ya!), but I still don't have a _clue _about 'Fan fiction etiquette'. Do you want me to reply to your reviews? Or would that just be annoying? If someone could give me some pointers, then I'm all ears and your advice would be much appreciated!

**Now, I'm really sorry, but my school term is beginning to look incredibly crowded, and I have no idea when this is next gonna get updated. But the wait shouldn't be was bad as last time. I don't think it'll be any more than a month (fingers crossed!).**

**Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	3. These Tears (Won't Fall)

**Chapter 3: Divided **

**A/N:** Well… It's been a while since this was updated, huh? But… good news! We have plot, people! As in, P-L-O-T! However, that means that this story is going to be quite a lot longer (and a bit 'darker'- but the rating won't change) than I first anticipated… I leave it to you to decide if that's a good thing, or not!

Thank you to everyone for their lovely reviews on the last chapters- I hope this chapter is alright!

**Disclaimer: ** I no own, Lego no sue. Okeydokey? XD

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><p><strong>-Location: Destiny's Bounty. Time: 2000 hours. November 5th-<strong>

As night had slowly crept into the Bounty, none of its occupants had bothered to switch on any lights, and the scene that greeted Cole was dull and blurry.

(Or maybe, that was just the water in his eyes.)

_Rain_ water, of course. Not salt water.

_Not tears._

_(He would not cry in here. He had to be strong for them all; had to fight on.)_

Returning his attention to the dark room, Cole ignored the voice which sadly whispered that_ Kai was worth publically shedding tears for, _knowing that if he started crying again, he probably wouldn't be able to stop. Such a thought made him feel vulnerable and weak, but the tortuous image of his brother falling flashed through his mind again, erasing all feeling.

The only light in the gently swaying living room came from the fireplace in the corner, but even its placid flames couldn't defeat the darkness belonging to the outside rain, and somehow, that idea made Cole feel much colder than he had on the deck.

_Fire couldn't defeat everything. Fire wasn't invincible_.

Nothing was.

_No one_ was.

He paused in the doorway as Nya made her way to where the rest of the team were hunched up around the fireplace. The flames cast soft, teary light over Zane and Jay's miserable expressions, and if the whole... atmosphere hadn't felt so heavy, the artistic part of Cole may have found the scene oddly pretty.

Except for the fact that there was _nothing_ pretty about grief. His team looked ready to fall apart- and he strongly doubted he'd be able to pick up the pieces if they did. This sort of thing… _everything_… was beyond him right now. He had no inspiring words; no significant truths. Just a heart which was as broken as theirs. The only person who _would_ have inspiring words or optimistic statements – the only one who would be of _any_ help at the moment was the one who had-

Who had-

Who'd _died_.

_(Why was it SO difficult to admit that? Why couldn't he just… just accept it and move on? Why couldn't he stop this…this heart wrenching pain?)_

Cole swallowed. _Because Kai had meant so much to him._

KaiKaiKai-

_Kai._

This was messed up.

_Kai had died_.

Suddenly, the desire to scream himself hoarse and cry until he had no breath left was upon him again, and he tightly clenched his throat, gripping the doorway and _willing_ the feeling to subside. If only a display of _how much he hurt_ would bring Kai back.

(Cole doubted that anyone noticed his tears.)

Neither Jay nor Zane looked up as he entered the room- it wouldn't have been hard to imagine them as statues if Jay hadn't shuffled closer to Nya when she sat down. Next to the two ninja lay Lloyd's sleeping form, the poor boy's red rimmed eyes suggesting that he'd cried himself to sleep. A small object was enclosed protectively between his fingers, and as Cole approached, he recognised it as the dagger Kai had gotten him for his previous birthday.

_KAI!_

How could something hurt so much?

_**I**__WANT__**I**__WANT__**I**__WANT _I_**NEED-**_

"…Hey," he muttered; soft words directed at no one in particular as he sat down. "Where's Wu?"

Jay gave a tired shrug, the movement causing the shadowy bags beneath his eyes to briefly become more pronounced. "Meditating. Don't know where. Just disappeared."

Flicking shards of rain water from his hair, Cole simply nodded and turned his gaze to the welcoming fire.

There wasn't anything else to say.

* * *

><p><strong>-Location: Unknown. Time: 1900 hours. November 5th-<strong>

Kai was cold.

As in, bone-shuddering, tooth-crunching, toe-curlingly _cold_.

His clothes, which were still damp from his impulsive mid-afternoon swim, hung from his battered body limply, providing little protection from the steadily dropping temperature. The sun had dropped behind the cliffs about an hour ago, leaving the small valley shrouded in large shadows cast by the jagged cliff tops.

Kai estimated that there was only about an hour left before the sun disappeared completely.

He had first woken around five hours ago, somehow managing to haul himself away from the water's edge to a nearby boulder that was large enough to lean against. It hadn't been an easy feat by any means, but at least he hadn't been weighed down by anything other than his wet clothes. Wary of skewering himself in mid-air or upon landing, he'd let go of the Sword of Fire just as the bridge had collapsed. It was a painful thought that his weapon was probably at the bottom of the river now, well beyond his reach.

Since waking, he'd done little more than establish that his left arm was definitely broken (no limb should be able to bend like that) and that the left side of his rib cage and hips – which had taken the worst of the impact when he'd hit the water- were covered in giant black bruises. Shivering had quickly become a very painful problem, especially around his torso, as the bruised muscles ached every time they contracted. At least he was fairly certain he'd managed to avoid breaking his ribs- although there was always the chance that they'd been fractured. And as for his ankle… he couldn't tell if it was broken or sprained; all he knew was that simply _moving_ it hurt.

All in all, destroying the bridge hadn't been the wisest course of action. He may have done a lot of impulsive things in his life, but this one would definitely rank among the stupidest.

The only thing which had kept him going was the knowledge that right now, the team would be out there, looking for him. He didn't know how far the river had carried him from the bridge, but he did know that they were comprehensive and thorough when it came to search and rescue jobs. They _would find him_. They would climb down the cliffs and discover the river concealed beneath the thick treetops. Then, they would follow the path of the river, constantly scanning for his bright red gi. And _then_, they would_ find him._

This was just an opportunity to practice patience. Sensei Wu would be proud. In fact, Wu had probably set this up deliberately. That was all. No problem. Nothing to worry about. He could wait this out.

… It was getting really dark. Kai shivered again. They'd better hurry up… or he was really going to rip into them when they finally arrived.

There was the sudden sound of branches snapping as someone moved through the undergrowth on his right. Kai eagerly turned in the direction of the sound and grinned.

"Hello? Sensei? Cole! Lloyd!... Jay? … Zane? … Nya…? It's me, Kai! I'm over here!"

The snapping sound paused.

* * *

><p><strong>-Location: Destiny's Bounty. Time: 0500 hours. November 6th-<strong>

"Students, it is time to wake up. We need to plan out where we're going to go from here," Sensei Wu's voice was raspy and worn as he entered the living room and took in the five sleeping bodies lying around the fireplace. Still locked in slumber, none of them noticed his saddened expression as he glanced at the fire's glowing embers. "Students," the weary Master called again, his gaze shifting to the windows, wise eyes forming frowns directed at the unrelenting rain clouds.

Five minutes later, everyone was awake and had assembled in the bridge in silence. No one looked at anyone else- or at the blindingly obvious gap where Kai normally stood. The air was as thick as ice, and they stood frozen, encased within its heavy sheets. The meeting may have never begun if Lloyd hadn't eventually spoken up; his voice desolate and chillingly _un-childlike._

"_Well,_ Wu? What is your plan?"

It occurred to Cole that the young boy had only spoken up because that was what _Kai _would have done.

Wu's bloodshot eyes seemed to sigh at them. "That is why you're all here. We need to vote on our plan of action,"

…_Sensei didn't know what to do?_

"What options are you suggesting, Sensei?" Zane questioned with a small bow- the movement meant to bolster their teacher's self-confidence. But it wasn't very effective; if anything, the Sensei looked worse as he spoke again.

"Firstly, there is the question of the body- do we want to retrieve it and hold some sort of ceremony? Secondly, are there any other relatives or friends of the deceased who need to be notified? Finally, do you feel up to moving onto our next destination, or do you want to head back to the city for a bit of a break before we continue after the Serpentine?"

Cole shook his head, voice splintering. "Sensei… you saw underneath the bridge… there's nothing there but trees and rocks. Even_ if_ the canopy did break his fall… the rocks would've-" he couldn't finish, but if the sickened expressions on his teammates were anything to go by, he didn't need to. "I… I don't want my last memory of Kai to be whatever lies at the bottom of that cliff."

_He died a hero…and that's the way I'm going remember him_.

"Agreed," Jay said softly.

"As for relatives and friends," Nya, toying with the large bangle on her wrist, shuddered. "Other than us, he had none of either. We lost… contact with most of our friends a year ago. No one else will… will miss…" The tears gathering in her large chocolate eyes threatened to overspill, and she trailed off helplessly.

Silence reigned briefly as Kai's younger sister struggled to get herself under control. Once Nya had regained some sense of stability, Lloyd stepped in for the second time.

"_I_ say we fight on." Garmadon's son stated, eyes flashing with something akin to anger and impatience. "If there is one thing we don't need, it's a _break_. We need to do what we're _here_ to do, not stand around and _mope_. Yeah, K- _Kai_ died. And what he did for us will be_ wasted_ if we don't press on! _Why the hell_ are we still standing around when we could be out there, fighting for what's _right_? Let's _move."_

Stunned silence greeted his words.

"Can you lot_ not hear me or something_?!" he demanded, one hand settling on the hilt of the dagger at his belt. "Well?"

Zane was the first to recover, and bowed to Lloyd briefly. "Lloyd, I'm afraid that's not an option-" he was abruptly cut off as Lloyd cried,

"_Why the hell not_?!"

"Listen to me, Lloyd. _Please_." After pausing for long enough to send an earnest look at the youngest ninja, the Master of Ice calmly continued. "Kai's death has affected us all. If we went into battle now, we would be unable to move as a team. Each of us would struggle to co-ordinate our movements with the others. Very rarely have we fought in battle with one element _missing_. It would do more harm than good at this point to fight on. Kai would not want us to perish because of his misjudgement."

"That 'misjudgement' got him **killed**! How can you just _stand there and say that_?!"

"Lloyd." Their Sensei may look worn and tired, but he wasn't going to let his nephew remain out of line for long. "Zane is right. Kai did not _want_ to die- and we're grateful for that. A mistake in the heat of battle can be made by _anybody_. We're not condemning Kai for what he did- we just wish it had not happened. I agree with Zane- a break would be good for us all."

"Come on, Lloyd. Once we get back to civilisation, you can catch up on your TV shows," Jay tried to be optimistic. "And we can find out what's been happening in the City during our absence,"

It was the wrong thing to say.

"Kai once said that the fate of Ninjago rested on my shoulders, and that I didn't have time for such _childish things_. Well, I don't know about _you lot_, but _I'm_ going to listen to_ him_. I don't give a damn about internet or television reception- I'll be in the training room if you need me. _I_ still have a job to do." With that, the Green ninja spun on his heel and marched out of the bridge.

_He's trying to copy Kai. Trying __**way too**__ hard._ With a small sigh, Cole jerked his head in the direction of the door. "I'll go work with him." He said, leaving the rest of the team to set the Bounty's course for Ninjago City in silence.

In mid-air, the ship smoothly swung around, leaving the hilly land behind. As the vessel picked up speed, the valley behind it soon faded away, until soon, it was nothing more than a small speck on the horizon.

No one looked back.

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><p>Thanks for reading! :)<p> 


	4. Your Faceless World

**Chapter Four: Faceless **

**A/N: **Hellooo my dear readers! It's been awhile (over a year- oops!) but here is chapter four of _MISSING_! Thank you for all your reviews, follows, PM's etc (sorry I couldn't reply, it has been an incredibly crazy year!) After fighting my way through a very competitive first year of university, all I can say is hopefully my ability to write hasn't been completely crushed under a mountain of science study! (Curse you, Organic Chemistry!) [On a side note, for all thosewaiting for OAS to be updated, it _is _coming… but I've forgotten where I was at with it, and need to read over it again (…joy).] For now, I hope you enjoy _Missing_!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago.**

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><p><strong>-Location: Downstream from the bridge. Time: 2000 hours. Date: November 5<strong>**th**** –**

It wasn't until the silence had stretched out among the trees and shadows for a full minute that Kai began to feel as if something was very, very wrong. He couldn't pinpoint what had caused the uneasy feeling, exactly, but _something_ in the sudden stillness felt rather foreboding. The quiet sounds of nocturnal birds and foraging animals had wilted away and he imagined them holding their breath, watching and waiting for the unknown predator to strike…

The rock in his hand offered no reassurance now; if he threw it in this darkness, it would take a ridiculous amount of luck to actually hit anything.

And given everything else that had happened today, Kai wasn't feeling very lucky.

(the shadows _breathed_)

Ohmy**GOD,**_whatshouldIdo-now?_

Kai tried to _keep_ breathing.

(Think it through! Figure it out!)

Okay, easy. He could do this. There was no problem so great that the Master of Fire couldn't get past it with a little focus!

He'd already deduced that none of his team members were nearby (and just where the _hell_ was his rescue party, anyway?) because they would've replied to his call by now. All he had heard in the past few minutes was the gentle babbling of the river's banks. Evidently, he was dealing with some_thing_( or, _one_) unknown. That left the question of whether they were the friendly type… or hostile.

He sort of didn't want to know at this point…

A small spider crawled across his arm, and he shivered under the feathery touch, carefully brushing it away. God, his limbs hurt, and he was absolutely frozen. Were there any other options left besides waiting and freezing? Half-seriously, he considered throwing a fireball or two over there, but decided the risk of setting the forest alight wasn't worth it. Outrunning a forest fire was difficult at the best of times- definitely not something he wanted to attempt with a swollen ankle.

At least a fire would be _warm_, though.

Kai sighed.

_Out of options, then. Only course of action: sit tight and wait._

_(Out here._

_In the open._

_Injured and cold and starving.)_

Several erratic heartbeats later, a Voice spoke, and Kai decided he _really_ wanted the silence back.

It was not a pleasant Voice.

The speaker had hard, empty English which didn't hold even the slightest trace of an accent. Overall, the effect was both spooky and interrogative. "You say you are … 'Kai'? As in, Kai Smith? The Ninja of Fire from Sensei Wu's well-known team, yes?" Kai noticed that whoever this was, they were unusually formal with their wording.

And their voice was too low and rough to be feminine.

Given that males with harsh, unaccented voices were statistically more likely to be criminals than, well, _normal, nice sounding people_, Kai decided that things had become _not very good_.

"What's it matter to you?" he shot back uneasily, his hands discarding the rock and clenching into fists. Now, he wished more than ever that he hadn't dropped his sword falling from the bridge. A decent weapon would provide an immeasurable sense of security here.

"I would like to know who I am speaking to," While the disembodied words were polite, the tone was anything but.

Kai decided that _really_ didn't paint a very nice picture of whoever was speaking. Chills which had nothing to do with the icy temperature travelled down his spine. "And_ I_ wanna know just who is stalking me!" he bellowed back, trying to mask his unease with a raised voice. Deep down, he realised shouting wasn't the way to regain power in this situation, but uncertainty was already gripping him tightly; its claws squeezing away rational thought.

The Voice replied with an eerie chuckle. Kai was certain he'd seen sweeter sounding monsters in gory movies. "I am not… 'stalking'… you, Kai." Now, the voice had taken on a softer, curious tone.

_Not _stalking?

Not followingprowlingpreyingwaitingthreatening him?

Because _stalking_ was what this felt like.

_(Oh, the_ lies _of anonymity…)_

Kai still felt uneasy.

_[Shadows]_

"Then what, exactly, do you want from me? And, and… who are you?"

_[you should be afraid of the shadows]_

_[The things people see there frighten them]_

_[from the corners of their eyes]_

God, everything was creepier in the dark.

Maybe he was making this out to be far worse than it actually was…

Maybe this person was harmless.

(And maybe hell had frozen over.)

Now the voice was kind; almost apologetic, even. God, if this person changed their attitude any faster, Kai thought wryly, they would get whiplash. "I do apologise for being so abrupt." The man stated mildly. Kai wasn't foolish enough to think that the apologetic tone was actually sincere. "I am a simple farmer, Kai. My farm is but two miles from here and I was forced to flee when the Serpentine came. I have been hiding for the past few hours, and I was not certain you were who you claimed to be."

_Yeah, sure, I'll buy that… coz all 'simple' farmers sound like someone rammed a manual on formal etiquette up their-_ "… I see. Well, the Serpentine are gone now, so if ya wanna go back home, you'll be safe." _As in, leave me the hell alone you formal-ass, emotionless freak. I do not feel safe with you watching me from over there._

Either feigning ignorance to Kai's dismissive tone or being legitimately slow on the uptake, the Voice pressed further. "I would feel safer if you came with me and checked that my farm was clear." when Kai didn't answer, a pitiful, "Please? I would feel safer with a ninja," was added.

_(Beawarebeaware of the crocodile's tears_)

Still not too keen on the idea of travelling with the faceless farmer, but not wanting to back down without reason, Kai grasped for a decent excuse. Fortunately, there was a perfectly acceptable one right at his feet. "….My ankle is sprained. I can't walk. I would only slow you down." _Take the hint_, _you jerk. Shove off._

"That will be no problem. I will help you. Once at the farm, we can get you medical attention. You are at risk of hypothermia."

Surely the _direct_ approach would work where subtlety had failed. "No. My team will be here soon. Just go back to your farm, okay?"

But when the sickly, delighted reply came, instead of feeling relieved, Kai realised his problems had become far worse.

"The Destiny's Bounty has gone, Kai. Your team left."

Oh.

Uh-_oh_…

The shadows became thicker.

(_Can't see the truth anymore_)

"Are you sure?" Kai asked, half-hoping he'd somehow misheard or misunderstood that last sentence.

_Because it couldn't possibly be true…_

Unfortunately he was not mistaken.

"I am certain, yes. I saw them leave. They were heading back to the City."

_Why?_

_Whatever happened to 'not leaving a brother behind'?_

_They had gone. Nya and Lloyd and Sensei and Jay and Zane and…._

Nononononono!

Okay, it was time to slow down and think things through. They wouldn't leave him. They _would not_ leave him here, not without good reason. Perhaps there was an emergency in the City, and they had been called away before they could send out a search party. Yes, that sounded logical. They were busy in the City and relying on him to find his own way back.

Well, that settled it. There were no other options. Swallowing down the suspicious feeling that had taken root in his gut, Kai clumsily rose on his one good foot and uncharacteristically hesitated. _This is under protest._ "Ah, okay then, um… Lead on, I suppose."

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><p><strong>-Location: Destiny's Bounty, Ninjago City. Time: 0800 hours. Date: November 6<strong>**th**** -**

There was no training session. When Cole finally found Lloyd, the youngster was not practicing kata on the deck, nor studying in his room or even playing video-games in the living room. Instead, he was huddled behind a small pile of fraying training mats, buried deep in the Bounty's hold. Cole never would've found him, had he not heard a wet sniff from the far corner of the room.

"Lloyd," he called softly, crouching down until he was at the kid's eyelevel. "Hey, Lloyd. Nya says that we've arrived at Ninjago City. How are you holding up?"

At the sight of Lloyd's tears, Cole's eyes began to water again, but he quickly blinked the moisture away.

(_Misery so enjoys company_)

Except Cole's.

(_hatehatehate their attention because IM NOT WEAK-)_

_So, BE STRONG THEN. _

He had one less to look out for, now.

Leadership should be **easy**.

(PAIN was making it difficult).

"Kai's dead." Lloyd sniffed, clutching the fraying end of one of the mats, the action reminiscent of a young child holding a teddy bear. "I… I want him back, Cole. I just… I can't…" there was a pause, before he muttered something along the lines of 'not wanting to cry'.

Poor kid.

"I know, kid. I know."

_Stopremindingme._

_(A SWORD then CRACK AND so utterly,finally,painfully… __**KAI**__PLEASE__**NO**__.)_

While Cole was floundering for more to say and finding nothing (was there _reall_y anything else he _could_ say, though?) Jay stormed past the door to the hold, grimly yelling;

"Bloody imbeciles! Why is it that the City always goes to hell when we're not around?"

(Justscreamandscreamandscream and)

-keep it together.

Cole closed his eyes and groaned softly. The last thing anyone's frayed nerves needed right now was a temper-tantrum, Jay Walker style. At least this was _one_ problem he could fix. Holding his hand up to Lloyd in a 'wait here' gesture, Cole left the hold and called back to the blue figure stomping down the corridor, "What on earth are you on about?"

Turning back to face his leader, Jay illustrated his annoyance with an eye-roll and a snort. "Cole! I was just catching up on the news and, and _– oh,_ _boy_ am I pissed off right now! Some scumbag called Averin held up a bank, took hostages, said he'd release them if the bank gave him a hundred thousand dollars, which they did because they were panicking, and then Averin _bloody_ shot them all anyway! This only happened, like, two days ago and now he's disappeared without a trace! He then said he was gonna return with an accomplice and that the ninja-which are us by the way-were gonna be pissed, but he said it like wayyy more, I dunno… _officially_ than that… And the police are being as bloody useful as ever, with their over-used 'we're doing all we can', which happens to be _nothing _I might add, and-"

Cole wished the world held less pain. "Jay."

Said ninja finally stopped for breath. "- Yeah?"

"You're griping. Try something more proactive," he'd been shooting for a light-hearted tone, but when an uncharacteristic snarl appeared on his friend's face, Cole had an icy feeling he'd missed the mark.

Or maybe Jay had just gotten tired of the emotional hell they were all going through and was spoiling for a fight.

"Griping _is_ proactive." Jay snapped back, blue eyes aflame.

_(Why is it that when some people are in pain, they feel the need to spread it to those already suffering?) _

_SELFISH BASTAR-_

Sighing softly and willing the confrontational light in his brother's eyes and his own heart to fade, Cole replied gently, "… I was thinking more along the lines of calling a meeting and explaining this to everyone. You're right, this is important. It sounds like we're gonna have to step in."

(The three of us).

(_ONLY the three of us…)_

_[__**OHGod**__.]_

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><p><strong>AN:** Feeling a bit 'meh' about this one. Looks like getting back in the writing game is harder than I thought! Care to make my day with some constructive feedback? ;)

Have a good one!

-Winter


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